Wire-drawing equipment



Jan. 30, 1945.

L. F. BLA\CK ETAL WIRE DRAWING EQUIPMENT Filed March 12, 1945 FIG. '1-

[flu 267%? f. Ema M KEFOVfE,

?atented Jan, 30, 1945 2,368,107 WIRE-DRAWING EQUIPMENT Lawrence F.Black, Donor-a, and Albert L. Ed-

over, Webster, Pa., assignors to The American Steel and Wire Company ofNew Jersey, a corporatlon of New Jersey Application March 12, 1943,Serial No. 478,986

4 (Jlalms.

This lnveriticn relates to wire drawing equipment and, particularly, tothe wire drawing blocks of the vertical type having upstanding blockpins, up which the wire coil grows from the block, with a ring, guidedby the pins, engaging the top of the growing coll so as to be forcedupwardly. If the operator does not stop the block in time, the coilgrows up the pins so high as to cause the ring to disengage from thepins and preseat a hazard when it is thrown forcibly from them.

a specific example of the invention is illustrated by the fiollowingdrawing:

Figure I is a top view;

Figure H is a side view;

Figure m is an enlargement from Figure I; and,

.tric motor and gearing, which are within the bench l, the entirearrangementas so for described being conventional. As previouslyexplained, and as is now obvious, the wire coil 4 can grow so large asto force'the ring 5 from its guiding relationship with the pins 3,wherea hazard to workmen in the vicinity.

According to' the invention, an upstanding column Bis fixed to the topof the draw bench I, adjacent the block 2 with its pins 3, the columnrising to above the top level of the pins .3, and its top mounting a.control switch I for the motor inside the draw bench I, this switchhaving an outwardly biased button 8 which must be constantly pressedinwardly to permit operation of the motor, release of the pressurepermitting the button to move outwardly by'reason of its bias, andstopping the motor powering the block 2. A collar 9 is fixed to thecolumn beneath the switch '1, by a set screw l0, and this collarsupports a bearing ll rotating onthe column 6. This hearing ll mounts aclevis l2 in which a'two-armed lever I3 is pivoted with a long armextending over the top of the block 2, free from the pins 3, and ashort'arin extending into the clevis. The short arm of this lever It,carries a bearing plate 7 M which isblased upwardly by the weight of thelong arm, the latter, consequently, being Figure I? is an enlargement,partly sectioned,

biased downwardly. A retainer ring is fixed to the column 6 above thebearing M, by a set screw it, and has a slot l? in its bottom face inwhich the bearing plate it works vertically, the arrangement being suchthat this slot ll cooperates with the bearing plate It to lock the leveris against lateral swinging, but permits lateral swinging of this leverill, by rotation of the bearing ll carrying the clevis, when the longarm of the lever ls'is raised sufilciently to drop the bearing plate Mfrom the slot ll, it then being possible to swing the lever is laterallyto beyond the side of the block 2 and pins 3, to permit removal of thering 5 and the wire coil :3. When the lever 53 is swung back to abovethe block 2 and pinst, it may again be lowered by reason of the bearingplate l4 rising into the slot ll, the latter functioning as a guldewayin which the end of the bearing plate may play.

A finger lever I8 is pivoted to the top of the retainer ring 15 so thatit swings in the same plane as the lever 83, it having a finger Wecapable of pressing against the button 8, and a short end cam portionlflb, on the other side of its fulcrum, which bears on the top of thebearing plate 54 when the latter rises with its end in the guideway orslot I The cam portion I812 has a flat end which cocks in a cantedposition respecting the flap top face of the bearing 1,4, so that thefinger |8a holds the button 8 inwardly against its outward bias, thisposition being maintained by the weight of the long arm of the leverupon it is centrifugally thrown free, presenting L I3 until this longarm is raised so as to slightly lower the plate I 4, the cam end labthen being capable of snapping inwardly, toward the column 8, so as topermit retraction of the finger I 8a and consequent outward movement ofthe biased but-' ton 8. When at this button-releasing position,

downward movement of the long arm of the lever I3 cannot force thebearing plate l4 upwardly, because it is engaging the fiat end of thecam end lab substantially at right angles, movement of the finger leverl8 to the button-depressing position being possible only by the use ofsumcient force to lift the long arm of the lever II or, perhaps moreconveniently, by lifting the long arm of the lever 13, moving the fingerlever I8 to button-depressing position and then releas ing the long armof the lever l3 so that its weight forces the bearing plate 14 upwardlyand holds the finger lever 18 in its position pressing the button 8inwardly.- It will be noted that, when the lever I3 is swung away fromover top the block it disengages completely from its associatlon withthe finger lever, and that, therefore.

advertently pressed downwardly.

The ring is provided with a cross bar II which centrally carries abearing plate 20, and the long arm. of the lever i3 carries anadjustable collar 2| having a depending finger 22 which can be engagedby this bearingplate 2|. when this and the button- 8 moves outwardly sothat the switch I stops the motor powering the block 2.

-In explanation of the operation of the invention, let it be assumedthat the block 2 is being driven by the motor, inside the draw bench,and that a wire coil is growing upwardly along the block pins 3, thering 5 traveling upwardly by reason of its engagement with the top ofthe growing coil. Until the coil grows to a considerable height the longarm'of the lever I3 is free, it being prevented from falling by reasonof the engagement between the bearing plate I4, on the short arm of thelever l3, and the cam end lab, of the finger lever II, the latter being,at this time, of course, in a position holding the button 8 inwardly sothat the motor can run to power the block 2. Before the wire coil cangrow to such a height that the ring 8 might be released from' the blockpins 3, the bearing plate 21!, which naturally rises with the ring 5,engages the finger 22, depending from the collar 2|, raises the long armof the lever I3 and stops the motor powering the block 2, by reason ofthe cam endlib of the finger lever ll then being free to snap inwardlytoward the column 8, it being understood that it is urged in thisdirection by the outward urge on the finger "a exerted by the outwardlybiased button 8. In this fashion the danger of the ring 6 being throwndangerously from'its engagement with the block pins 3, is positivelyavoided.

We claim:

1. Th combination of a vertical wire drawing block, vertical block pinsup which the wire coil grows from the block, a ring guided by the pinsfor engaging the top of the growing coil, a control switch for theblock, and a lever system worked by -the rising of the ring for ratingthe switch.

2. The combination of a vertical wire drawing block, vertical block in;up which the wire coil grows from the block, a ring guided by the pinsfor engaging the top of the growing coil, an electric switch having anoperating button biased against pressure, a finger lever for pressingthe button, a downwardly biased arm connecting with the finger lever tocause it to press the button when the arm is lowered and to release itwhen the arm is raised, and means for interengaging the arm and the ringso the ring, can raise the am against its bias.

3. The combination of a vertical wire drawing block, vertical block pinsup which the wire coil grows from the block, a ring guidedvby the pinsfor engaging the top of the growing coil, an electric switch having anoperating button biased against pressure, a finger lever for pressing,the button, a downwardly biased arm connecting with the finger lever tocause it to press the button when the arm is lowered and to release itwhen the arm is raised, means for interengaging the arm and the ring sothe. ring can raise the arm against its bias, the arm swinging over topthe ring when working and laterally swinging to a position beyond theside of the ring, to permit removal of the latter, and disengaging fromoperative association with the finger lever when laterally swung to sucha position.

4. The combination or a wire coil bundle accumulator, rotating means forcontinuously forming and feeding wire coil convolutions to one end ofsaid accumulator to form a wire coil bundle supported thereby whichcontinuously grows longitudinally thereof toward its other end as longas said feeding continues, a member providing an annular surface, ofapproximately the same diameter as said bundle and mounted forsubstantially parallel engagement of said surface with the growingportion of said bundle and for movement by the growing movement of saidportion in its growing direction, said member being biased towardsaid-portion, a controller for said means having a movable operatingelement, and means for using the movement of said member to control saidoperating element when said memher is moved by said growing movement apredetermined distance.

- I LAWRENCE FJBLACK.

ALBERT L. KEFOVER.

